I'm a little shook up

[Hooah4 12]

You didn't intend to hit him in the face. He chose to not wear facial protection. It's OK to feel bad for a second or two but don't beat yourself up about it and don't let it keep you from playing the same way.

We all take inherent risks when stepping on the ice.

[Jarick 5]

Exactly why I wear a cage.

I play with some guys who have some rocket shots, easily over 90 mph. I'll be walking funny even with the cage. I also play with some intermediate ability guys who have the power but not the control. I've taken a few pucks and sticks up high in the cage.

$40 cage > losing teeth, broken nose and cheekbones, losing vision

Nice that you were thoughtful though. Nothing worse than a d-bag who drops a player and acts like a dick.

[flashgordon 0]

I feel your guilt. Earlier this year, on a power-play, I picked up the puck off the side boards just above the face-off circle. The other team had all collapsed into the middle, so I had plenty of room to step in and wind up. Well, I got all of it, but the puck just took off and was surely headed over the net, but a defender's jaw got in the way. No facial protection, he went down like he was shot, screaming and writhing in pain, blood everywhere. We had to stop the game. Just brutal and I felt totally guilty. But as others have said, it was his choice not to opt for facial protection. Let's just say I ALWAYS wear a full cage now. Would not want to be on the other end.

[Hockeydog 8]

The fact that you showed concern proves you are a good person. You didn't mean it and didn't do anything against the rules of hockey. I hate to see most anyone get hurt, but everyone has to take saftey into their own hands.

I agree that it is nuts not to wear full face protection in any beer league or rec hockey. And yes, any day you play any sport and not get injured is a good day. I think if you play any sport long enough you will get hurt. Your protection, level of physical readiness, and sometimes luck determine how hurt you get.

[GSHL99 0]

Hockey is not a safe sport, everyone takes a lot of risks every time we get on the ice. That's just the price of a game where you're zipping around at speeds far faster then you could hope to run on a surface as hard as rock surrounded by solid boards and glass with a hard rubber puck. That's not an out for bad conduct like taking a slap shot when someone is down right in front of you, but there are just certain risks to playing the game. The guy in question chose to take additional riskes related to not wearing face protection to see better.

End of the day, you can't be held responsible by the other guy or yourself because of a random accent that will happen from time to time. We all know it, and we all play anyway. If I were worried about it I'd play basketball, but I'm certainly of the opinion that it's worth the risk.